The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has urged the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) to call off its strike and return to the negotiation.
For the GTEC, the strike action by the UTAG cannot be an option to be used to convince the authorities to meet their demands.
Addressing the second session of the 17th Congratulation of Koforidua Technical University (KTU) the Deputy Director of Ghana Tertiary Education Commission Ahmed Abdulai Jinapor urged UTAG to call off the strike and return to the negotiation table. He said industrial strike action should not be an option.
“Industrial action should not be an option in this enterprise. It is on this note that I want to use this opportunity to plead with our brothers and sisters within the UTAG fraternity to return to the classroom by calling off their strike and return to the negotiation table with the government”.
UTAG has been on strike since Monday, August 2, 2021, demanding restoration of a 2012 Single Spine Salary Structure agreement that ensures entry-level lecturers earn the cedi equivalent of $2,084 monthly.
After failure by the University Lecturers to call off the strike action, the National Labour Commission (NLC) secured 10 days interlocutory injunction from a court in Accra to compel University teachers to end the strike to return to the negotiation table.
The strike has disrupted the academic calendar in various public Universities with some threatening shut down in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, statement from the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) says its members will not return to work despite an injunction sought by the National Labour Commission against their industrial action.
In a statement released on August 8, 2021, National Secretary Dr. K. K. Abavare indicated that UTAG has received resolutions from all 13 member public institutions mandating the continuation of the strike action.
“Following the stalling of negotiations with the government on our Conditions of Service (CoS), which culminated in our declaration of a nationwide withdrawal of teaching and related activities among member public universities, all local branch executives were tasked by the National Executive Committee (NEC) to convene an emergency meeting to solicit the views of members on the way forward.”
Full statement below
